


Stray Child

by neverminetohold



Series: False Idols [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Canon, Romance, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:48:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26647042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neverminetohold/pseuds/neverminetohold
Summary: On the eve before a major battle, Ravus is plagued by his own resolve, even as he longs for the future he plans to forge with his own two hands, and in spite of the will of the Six. His path of free will is fraught with danger, but he will never walk it alone...
Relationships: Ravus Nox Fleuret & Ardyn Izunia, Ravus Nox Fleuret/Ardyn Izunia
Series: False Idols [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938754
Kudos: 9





	Stray Child

The citizens of other nations knew Gralea as a metropolis filled with magitek. A poor man's Solheim, as detractors put it. The Old Keep, by contrast, was a relic of ages past, erected in the heart of the oasis that used to sustain Niflheim. It was a square and artless desert fortress with massive stone walls, meant to keep out the heat in summer and trap it during the winter months.

The members of the greater and lesser council had been ordered to gather, with few of them yet privy to the fact that tomorrow's peace treaty signing would end in an attack on Insomnia.

Scanning the faces of the milling people, Ravus was unconcerned with the historical significance of the venue Emperor Aldercapt had chosen for the announcement. In fact, he longed for the event to be over.

Preparations for the battle to come had kept him and his staff occupied for the past weeks. His very bones felt heavy for lack of sleep, yet anticipation was like an itch beneath his skin that left him irritable and prone to headaches.

A stage and lectern had been built, framed by banners, and under siege by a host of cameras and microphones. The biting tang of glaze rose from the wooden construct, getting worse in the heat generated by spotlights, yet still overpowered by the heady perfumes the ladies favored this season.

The hum of conversation filled the air, a background noise of polite inquiries, whispered ploys, and jovial laughter. Shallow, empty words, as the truth had no place here.

Military officers, rich merchants, old nobles. Their wives, guards, secretaries. They formed groups that came together and drifted apart in a rehearsed dance. Favors were used like coin, bartered and called in. They treated politics and war as a game for power and profit, with no regard for the lives that were at their mercy.

It sickened Ravus to look at them from where he stood, half-hidden in the deeper shadow of a pillar. He wore a mask of polite disinterest that matched his ornate dress uniform and medals. The trappings of his rank meant nothing to him, unlike the solid weight of Alba Leonis at his side.

Having been raised as heir to the throne of Tenebrae until the age of ten, he should move with ease and confidence within these circles, despite the scorn he was met with as an outsider. Instead, Ravus had no patience for it, and invested no more effort than prudence required.

His mother's death had been the first painful step on a path that had led him to this exact moment, only hours away from a chance to thwart fate and save his fool sister.

Movement caught Ravus' attention, a wedge being driven through the crowd that parted with haste like a shoal of fish before a shark. Emperor Aldercapt and Science Minister Besithia, their heads bent together in deep conversation, with General Glauca looming behind them. And at their heels an agitated Loqi, who stalked towards Ravus as soon as he spotted him.

"Good evening." Ravus stepped out of the shadows to meet him. He had learned the hard way that Loqi enjoyed causing a scene at the slightest provocation. "May I help you?"

"Where is that infernal man?" Loqi demanded to know without preamble. His voice rang within the cavernous hall, drawing unwelcome attention. "His Excellency's speech is about to begin."

"I am not his keeper."

"Of course not. If anything, it's the other way around. Everyone knows that," Loqi said with a smile full of teeth. "What are you waiting for? Run and fetch your master, little pet."

Having heard worse from Loqi during their years at the military academy, Ravus simply nodded and brushed past him with a polite, "Excuse me."

Only the great hall and most direct route leading to it had been made accessible for the occasion, leaving Ravus with a single place to search, at least if Ardyn had chosen to abide by the rules.

He made for the stairs to the lower levels, where a clever system of wind catchers had once been vital to enduring the desert clime. The intricate floral artwork around the openings had impressed him as a child, but now Ravus found that they had been covered up with crude brickwork, and heating units installed.

He should have anticipated the change, considering that Shiva's death throes had turned a nation of endless dunes into a wasteland of ice and snow within the blink of an eye. Ravus had been part of that mission, had personally faced the goddess' wrath and seen her slain.

The stairs blurred before his eyes and Ravus had to stop. He grabbed the railing, rubbing at his left temple with his free hand. The persistent ache and his own lack of focus annoyed him. He had no time nor desire to reminisce, but this place had once been his prison and then a second home; memories lurked in every corner.

Upon reaching the ground floor, Ravus slipped past the barrier posts with their velvet rope and turned towards the central pool and garden. The rain-like patter of fountains echoed around the vaulted archways with their mosaic-filled alcoves and the air was rich with the honey scent of blooming moonflowers.

A full squadron of MTs stood guard over the area, placed strategically to block every entrance and exit. The heavy assault rifles they carried had not been designed with human foes in mind, but rather with the kind of stopping power required to take down daemons.

Ravus submitted to a scan and was allowed passage without challenge. In a secluded corner, Ardyn was sitting on an wrought iron chair, his face hidden by the brim of his fedora and the folds of his scarves.

In public they had to appear at odds, were barely civil with each other. Some suspected the truth - or their version of it - and spread salacious rumors, like that blond buffoon. Though perhaps Ravus should have thanked Loqi for this opportunity on the eve before a major engagement.

"Your absence has been noted," Ravus informed him, taking a shortcut across fallow flowerbeds instead of following the longer path around. "Ardyn?"

The man who lifted his face to look at Ravus was as pale as a corpse where his skin wasn't mottled and bruised, with the ichor of the Starscourge streaming from his eyes like black tears. There was no spark of recognition in them, only the weight of a thousand staring strangers.

The shadows cast by grape vines and potted fig trees grew longer, as if the moon had shifted in the sky. They began to writhe and spread and teem with crimson sparks as the daemons dwelling within them rose closer to the surface. They sensed prey that, once devoured, might ease their suffering.

Ravus froze mid-stride, overwhelmed by primitive fear, the same he had felt that day in Ghorovas Rift or when Ardyn had introduced him to Ifrit... and then he pushed past it and kept on walking.

He wasn't ignorant of the danger, but Ravus had faith, both in Ardyn and his own abilities. A pragmatic choice, perhaps, but both had always proven dependable when put to the test.

He would not huddle in fear of the dark or cling to prayers that fell on deaf ears, like the rest of Eos. The Six toyed with human lives, turned them into scapegoats for their own sins, and forced them to enact their self-serving prophecies. - By what right?

Ravus' headache spiked like a nail driven deeper and he ground his teeth until his jaw ached to temper his anger. "With the foes we challenge, you should not rely on MTs to guard you."

Ravus unbuckled Alba Leonis and sat down cross-legged on the flagstone, leaving the saber to rest within easy reach. That should forestall any complaints Ardyn might voice about getting a crick in the neck.

Another long minute of silence passed before the signs of corruption faded from Ardyn's face and the shadows returned to being nothing more ominous than areas where objects blocked the light cast by the moon and lanterns.

"An opportunity presented itself and I decided it was well worth the risk," Ardyn finally answered with a smile as languid as his shrug. "But I am gratified to hear that you care."

"You know I do."

"Forgive me if I like to hear you say so now and then. And so matter-of-fact."

"All part of my charm." Ravus resisted the impulse to roll his eyes in fond exasperation. "What news of the boy?"

"Always so serious." Ardyn sighed in dramatic suffering and adjusted his suit and vest, as if sitting still and scrying could have disheveled either. "Where did I go wrong raising you?"

"Nowhere, considering you were absent during my formative years," Ravus said in the dry tone living with this insufferable man had helped him cultivate.

"Was I now?" Ardyn mused, a wicked glint in his narrowed eyes. "How odd. I do seem to recall a young boy clinging to my coat-tails and crawling into my bed when -"

"Ardyn," Ravus warned, not feeling up to the teasing and banter, a fact that was carved into the new lines of his face, no doubt.

"As you wish." Ardyn raised his hands in mock surrender, but his expression grew serious. "The wards left my poor little daemon in quite the pitiful state. But it did succeed in reaching the Citadel and I witnessed Regis sending Noctis on his way to Altissia."

"So the boy will be safe even as his subjects perish." Ravus made no effort to hide his disdain but the feeling was haunted by a memory of fire and smoke and his own pleading voice. "Who travels with him?"

"Why, his faithful retainers and the snap-happy mascot, of course. And in the Regalia, no less, as if their journey were a pleasure cruise. Then again, as far as Prince Noctis knows, he's a mere groom, champing at the bit to meet his lovely bride."

That arranged marriage would have left a sour taste in Ravus' mouth had he not known the terrible truth that his sister would not last long enough to be wed. Worse, she would speed along her own death at the behest of Bahamut, and do so without regrets. Perhaps the love between Chosen King and Oracle _was_ genuine, but no happiness could come from it. Lunafreya was bait set by the Six, meant to trap Noctis into accepting his destiny.

"Your faith in him is misplaced, dear sister," Ravus muttered to himself and shook his head in disgust, a mistake that made him wince. "And Regis is a fool cut from the same cloth."

"Oh, I agree. But his only son is doomed to die to save the world," Ardyn said, his words too solemn without their mocking edge. "I find it hard to begrudge a father the wish that his child live happily until the fated day."

Ravus pressed his lips together and said nothing. He had no wish to argue and no words of comfort or insight to offer. Tomorrow, he would take his revenge on King Regis and secure the Ring of the Lucii, while Ardyn would lead the vanguard to provide a distraction until the rest of the army could be deployed within Insomnia. The risks were many, but the potential reward...

"Stop fretting, love." Ardyn's gentle voice broke the silence and put a stop to the rising cadence of Ravus' thoughts. "Everything is in place, and we are as prepared as anyone could hope to be."

"I do not fret." Ravus sighed and closed his eyes. To be known by another was a gift, but also inconvenient at times. "I'm tired, no more."

A warm hand cupped his face, the feeling so familiar that it failed to startle him. Ravus leaned into the touch. Soft fabric brushed against his cheek and the bittersweet fragrance of sylleblossoms filled his lungs as he inhaled.

"All will be well, " Ardyn whispered. "Believe in yourself, and our covenant. This is the path you have chosen, but you're not walking it alone."

Ravus bowed his head, the tension leaving him as Ardyn's hands pushed his hair back and massaged his temples with a gentle pressure that drew out the pain and lulled his mind into a serene nothingness where fear, doubt, and exhaustion perished.

The suggestion of a kiss, a chaste brush of lips so fleeting it left them tingling, called Ravus back to himself.

"How are you feeling now?" Ardyn asked as he let go and Ravus had to sit up straight to resist the urge to chase after that touch. "Are you prepared to face whatever dawn may bring?"

"Of course." Ravus raised his chin in challenge, but the gesture lacked heat. "I would hope that was never in doubt."

"Perish the thought."

Ardyn started to say more, but instead tilted his head to listen. That was when Ravus heard it as well. A faint noise, muffled by the thick walls, like the surf crashing against the shoreline, except the waves of sound kept swelling.

"Dear me, it seems we've missed our liege's rousing speech," Ardyn commented with a chuckle and rose from his seat. "How impudent of us."

"Consider it a good omen. His Excellency has never been known as a great orator."

As Ravus had hoped, Ardyn laughed, a rich and warm sound. "Ah, truly, I've been a terrible influence on you."

Ravus retrieved Alba Leonis and stood, finding his limbs light and no longer protesting his every movement. "I have no complaints."

"Neither do I."

Ardyn snapped his fingers, prompting the MTs to salute and abandon their posts. Their heavy tread echoing around the garden, they formed an honor guard with mechanical precision.

"Give me a few minutes head start," Ardyn said over his shoulder and doffed his fedora in farewell. "And do try to look as if we argued."

"That should prove no challenge," Ravus assured him, and he couldn't have cared less that his haughty poise and words were at stark odds with the honesty of his smile.

Left alone in the garden, Ravus followed its main path in a slow circuit, idly remembering his failing attempts to grow sylleblossoms where now moonflowers thrived in the exact same shade of white.

When he deemed that enough time had passed, Ravus ascended the stairs, bracing himself for the tedious party he was obliged to attend. Dawn, the decisive end it would bring to this pointless war, couldn't come soon enough.


End file.
